We don’t see a huge number of new V8-powered muscle cars left on our roads. The era of big-displacement V8s is well and truly over, and thanks to the evolution of turbo technology and powerful inline engines, the death of the legendary engine configuration could have been seen a mile off. But there is still a huge proportion of us who want a car with a V8.
Thankfully, we have decades’ worth of classic muscle cars to fawn over, and at the center of American muscle car history is the almighty Ford Mustang. So, we are even more thankful for what Jim Farley, CEO of Ford, has recently said about the V8’s lifespan under the hood of future Ford Mustangs.
To give you the most up-to-date and accurate information possible, the data used to compile this article was sourced from Ford and other authoritative sources, including Classic.com.
- Base Trim Engine
-
EcoBoost 2.3L ICE
- Base Trim Transmission
-
10-speed automatic
- Base Trim Drivetrain
-
Rear-Wheel Drive
- Base Trim Horsepower
-
315 HP @5000 RPM
- Base Trim Torque
-
350 lb.-ft. @ 3000 RPM
Thank You, Jim Farley — The American Pony Is Safe
While huge swathes of the auto industry have turned towards electric powertrains and hybrid setups, if there is one thing that Mustang fans don’t want, it is an electric Mustang. The market has got the electric Ford Mustang Mach-E, but that is a different game altogether, and while it utilizes the Mustang nameplate (to the dismay of a fair few), it isn’t a muscle car. A sentiment that is also implied by Jim Farley himself.
Thankfully, the Ford CEO has answered some of our prayers. Ford won’t be making an electric Mustang and wants to carry on using the V8 for as long as it can. He said, “We will never make an electric Mustang,” and added, “We won’t make a Mustang that’s not a Mustang.” More excitedly, he has drawn a deep line in the sand about the use of the V8 engine in future Mustangs.
“We have EcoBoost, we have the Dark Horse now, and we’re going to continue to invest. And if we’re the only one on the planet making a V-8 affordable sports car for everyone in the world, so be it.”
– Jim Farley, CEO of Ford
Classic muscle car fans can rejoice; Ford plans to keep the legendary nameplate a predominantly ICE machine for future generations. While that may not impress a lot of people who swear by electric power in vehicles, gas monkeys can sleep happily with the news.
The Ford Mustang As An American Icon
Since the Mustang first hit our roads as the 1964½ MY, it has been one of the most-loved American cars ever made; it is the original pony car. When it was released, it was affordable, you could buy it with a V8, and it broke the design mold back in the mid-60s with a far more athletic and aggressive look compared to anything else on the market.
Since then, the Mustang has become a proper American institution and become the star of many films and TV shows; celebrities are seen behind the wheel of them all the time; Mustangs have gotten more and more athletic; more and more performance tech is being bolted to them; they have become a modder’s dream; they have been driven in some epic races, and most importantly, they have always been available with a V8 engine option.
The Best V8 Mustangs Ever Made
Since the first iteration, some of the best Mustangs ever made have toted a V8 under the hood, and rightly so. If that ceases to become even an option, the infamous two-door sports coupe and convertibles will lose a bit of what makes them great in a sea of hybrids, EVs, and inlines. We think that some of the best V8 Mustangs ever created include:
- 1965 Shelby Mustang GT350. Engine: 4.7-Liter NA V8. Horsepower: 396 hp
- 1968 Cobra Jet Mustang. Engine: 7.0-Liter NA V8. Horsepower: 335 hp (Official) / 400+ hp (Estimated).
- 1968 Mustang GT 390. Engine: 6.4 NA V8. Horsepower: 320 hp.
- 1970 Mustang Boss 429. Engine: 7.0-Liter NA V8. Horsepower: 375 hp (Official).
- 1986 Mustang GT. Engine: 5.0-Liter NA V8. Horsepower: 200 hp.
- 1990 Mustang LX. Engine: 5.0-Liter HO V8. Horsepower: 225 hp.
- 2003 Mustang SVT Cobra. Engine: 4.6-Liter NA V8. Horsepower: 390 hp.
- 2013 Shelby Mustang GT500. Engine: 5.8-Liter Supercharged V8. Horsepower: 662 hp.
We know it is because of the link to Steve McQueen and the film Bullitt, but we aren’t surprised to see the actual GT 390 Fastback that was used to crash around the San Francisco streets become the most expensive Mustang ever sold when it crossed the auction block at $3.74 million back in 2020. It is a V8 Mustang, and it is a proper screen legend.
This Year’s V8-Equipped Ford Mustangs
Then we have this year’s Mustangs. There are five main trims to choose from, and while the standard-fit engine is a 315-horsepower/350-pound-foot 2.3-liter EcoBoost inline-four, V8 options still play a huge role in the lineup. To get a 2025 Mustang with a V8, you will have to choose from the Mustang GT, the Mustang Dark Horse, or the total weapon that is the Mustang GTD.
Prices for the new GT are reasonable, with a starting price of $46,650; the more powerful Coyote-equipped Dark Horse takes the starting price up to $64,380, and if you want the most powerful road-going Mustang ever created, the Mustang GTD will set you back at least $327,000.
2025 Ford Mustang Performance Specifications
|
Spec |
2025 Ford Mustang GT |
2025 Ford Mustang Dark Horse |
2025 Ford Mustang GTD |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Engine |
5.0-Liter Ti-VCT V8 |
5.0-Liter Coyote V8 |
5.2-Liter Supercharged V8 |
|
Transmission |
Six-Speed Manual or Ten-Speed Automatic |
Six-Speed Manual or Ten-Speed Automatic |
Eight-Speed Dual-Clutch Automatic |
|
Horsepower |
480 Horsepower |
500 Horsepower |
800 Horsepower |
|
Torque |
415 LB-FT |
418 LB-FT |
664 LB-FT |
|
Driveline |
Rear-Wheel Drive |
Rear-Wheel Drive |
Rear-Wheel Drive |
|
0-60 MPH |
4 Seconds — 4.3 Seconds |
3.7 Seconds — 4.1 Seconds |
Low 3-Second Range (Unverified) |
|
Top Speed |
166 MPH |
168 MPH |
202 MPH |
Of course, any V8-equipped Mustang is going to be a lot of fun, but if you are looking for true muscle-car-mania, it has to be the very expensive yet unbelievably powerful Mustang GTD. It is the most powerful Mustang Ford has ever turned out; it is truly set up for the track with lots of performance goodies, it sounds incredible, it looks very aggressive, and with a 6:52.072 Nürburgring lap time, no one in the market for one is complaining about the price.
Why The Ford Mustang Won’t Go Electric
There is a good reason why the Ford Mustang has outlasted every other muscle car. Even though there is a very clear shift towards smaller, turbocharged engines (even in new muscle cars, with the 2026 Dodge Charger hitting the market soon with a very healthy inline-six instead of a V8), Ford knows what their customers want from a muscle car: old-school charm and guts with the mod-cons that won’t make it redundant in the modern market.
It is about preserving the Mustang’s V8 heritage as much as it is about ensuring that future generations can enjoy the Mustang as it was intended. While Jim Farley and Ford have acknowledged the need for the Mustang to go on a diet so it can continue to utilize a V8, and the continuation of using and testing hybrid mills with the Mustang, both to keep in line with economic standards, to offer a Mustang without a V8 option just wouldn’t sit right for both us, and Ford.